Galatasaray threatened to producing one of the comebacks of all time in the Champions League when they surged from being 4-0 down on aggregate to 4-3 against Real Madrid on Tuesday evening, before eventually succumbing to a further late goal to crash out 5-3 over the two legs.

Already being 3-0 down from the first match in Madrid, the tie appeared all over when Cristiano Ronaldo knocked home from close range for a fourth Real goal—Galatasaray then needed five of their own to go through.

An improbable fightback was then miraculously on the cards when the Turkish side scored three times in 15 amazing second-half minutes—kick-started by an absolute thunderbolt strike from right-back Emmanuel Eboue.

GIF from 101greatgoals.com

Just minutes after an astonishing miss from five yards from Wesley Sneijder, the same Dutch midfielder then redeemed himself with a lovely first touch and finish, before another classy goal, this time a back-heel from DidierDrogba, suddenly had the watching Spanish fans sitting rather more uneasily.

A disallowed goal for offside for Drogba then appeared to rob Gala of their belief that they were going to complete a stunning turnaround, and Real took some of the sting out of the tie—at least until Alvaro Arbeloa talked his way into two yellow cards and a red in the space of two minutes.

It wasn't to be for Gala though as Karim Benzema set up Ronaldo for his second of the night late on, sending Real Madrid through to the last four and Galatasaray out, with their pride intact but perhaps wondering what could have been.